Decorative structure.



` has been applied in the ordinary manner,-

sTas PATENT OFFICE.

WILTON CUNNINGHAME, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB. TOSYLVESTER SIMON,CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DECORATIVE STRUCTURE.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 11, 1910.

Application filed April 22, 1910. Serial No. 557,086.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, -WILT0N CUNNING- I-IAME, a citizen .of the UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in DecorativeStructures, of which the following is a specification.

The primary object of my invention is the production of a decorativestructure which will present a true mosaic appearance, but which, unlikemosaics made from stone or vitreous material, Awill be pliable, and yetinelastic under ordinary pressure.

Genuine mosaic work is constructed and,

built up of bits or blocks of heavy, hard, unpliable material, such asblocks of stone, glass, enamel, cement, ceramic material and s'o on.These blocks or bits of hard material are litted together and set incement, with their adjacent edges rigidly cemented or otherwiseconnected together. -The bits or blocks are also sometimes firstarranged and fitted together into sections of a complete .design and theblocks of the sections are temporarily held together by paper or somefabric lued to the front faces thereof. When a design is to beinstalled, the surface for receiving the decoration is first coated`with some cement and the sections laid therein and fitted together.After the cement is set and hardened, the temporary supporting materialcan be removedby water or other substance and the front vface of theblocks Washed clean. This setting of the hard unpliable bits or blocksin equally hard and unpliable cement produces a hard decorative coat orfinish which is far from being pliable, and the least iexure thereofwill cause cracking or breaking. Take, for eX- ample, a ceiling or floorto which mosaic the least lieXure or settling will result in cracks andseparation or loosening of the blocks, and perhaps breakage thereof,there being absolutely no give or compensation effect in mosaic workv asordinarily constructed. Furthermore, should any of thel blocks becomeworn or marred in any way, replacing can be accomplished only with Theusual method is to pound and to break up the structure, and to replaceit, it then being necessary to'use fresh cement and new units,theoperation resulting usually in a sacrifice and waste of material. Thecost of genuine mosaic work is considerable and almost prohibitive forordinary use of the mosaic.

The main object of my invention is, therefore, to produce a decorativestructure which closely resembles the genuine mosaic work, but-whichpossesses a great many features which go to make its use more desirableand more economical.

The decorative units in my invention are of some light material, pliablebut inelastic under ordinary pressure, and at the same time,inexpensive, the units being treated to give color effect or to possessother physical or chemical properties, and they are fitted together andsecured by some elastic and yielding cement or lue to a backing of somematerial which is also pliable, the adjacent edges of the units,however, remaining free to move relatively. The units may be cut fromlight material, such as paper, Wood or other fibrous material, leather,coniposition, or any similar material which is pliable. The materialeither before or after the units are out therefrom can be impregnated orsupercially treated with substances to produce coloring effects or'physical or chemical properties. For example, the material or the unitscut therefrom may be saturated with some substance which would cause theresultant structure to be Waterproof or fire-proof, or -to give itantiseptic qualities. The units may also be treated superficially as bypainting, staining, spraying, varnishing or the like. The units,however, should, after treatment, retain their pliability and yieldingproperties and their relative freedom.

The units are properly arranged and fitted l together to reproduce anydesired, design and are preferably arranged in easily handled sections,the units of each section being fastened at their backs to some thinpliable material or fabric such as paper or cloth, some glueI or cementbeing used possessing strong adhesive and resisting properties, butwhich at the `same time possesses give and pliability so that theresultant structure is extremely pliable and can undergo considerableflexure, bending or distortion without resulting in loosening orseparation of the units. The sections thus formed are intended to besecured directly against the surface to be decorated much in the samemanner as wall paper is applied. The` ornamental A dull finish or aglassyfinish can be given.v

The units can also be secured to panels of stiffer material such aspaper or fiber board, wood or the like, and these panels can be secured.to a wall in any desired manner.

. The units also can have any shape, regular or irregular, as irregularshapes can be much more readily cut from material such as paper thanthey can be formed from stone, glass Vor other hard material. Anotheradvantage is that repairs can be much more readily effected.' If one ormore units should become loosened all that is necessary is to apply glueand to replace the unit. A single unit or any and replaced.

The backing to which the units are applied is permanent and it is,therefore, unnecessary to wash or otherwise remove 'temporary supportingmaterial from theornamental face of the units, as is the case in genuinemosaic'work. The ornamental pattern of the section is, therefore, alwaysopen, and the sections can be applied with much more certainty than isthe case with the genuine mosaic, where the section patterns are hiddenby temporary supporting fabric.

In the accompanyingdrawing': Figure 1 is a plan View of a decorativesection havingthe mosaic appearance; and Fig. 2 is a section, taken online :2-2 of FigQl.

As shown, the units or blocks 1 which can be accurately cut by suitablecutting tools are placed adjacent each other, but in separated relation,to build up a desired design and are glued or otherwise fastened attheir backs to a permanent supportingbacking 2 which may be of thinpliable material, such as paper or cloth or whichv may be of the.

more rigid form, such 'as wood or paper panels. The units may be treatedfor coloring eii'ect' or other properties before being glued to thebacking or may be applied first and' then stained, painted or otherwisetreated. A complete design is usually sub-divided into a number ofeasily handled sections and these sections may be applied to a wall muchin the saine manner as wall paper or as panels are applied, and afterapplication to awa'll, a finish .treatmentmay be given the units. Theproduct of my invention', therefore, gives a true mosaic effect buteliminates the undesirable features of rigid genuine mosaic in which theunits besides being securely cemented to a backing are rigidly connectedtogether so that the least flexure number can be readily cut out.

of the backing will cause cracks, and individual distortion of the unitswill be transmitted to other units, which causes the units to break awayfrom the backing. The units of my invention are secured to a backing orsupporting surface at only one of their areas and are entirelyindependent of each other so far as their adjacent edges are concerned,the result being that each unit can individually follow its owndistortions, iiexures and so on without in any way influencing otherunits, and each individual unit and the unit-s as a .whole are free tofollow any flexur'e, warping or other distortion of the supportingsurface or backin The product can, therefore, after manu acture, beapplied to any curvilinear surface, as the individual units will assumethe curvature of the surface to which the product is applied. Theproduct is a true work of art and the units can have any form, regularor irregular, to be-arranged on a'backing to mosaically reproduce'apicture or design.

It will be noted that while the units making up the mosaic are pliableand flexible, yet their surfaces are, .at the same time, comparativelyinelastic under ordinary pressure.

I do not desire to be limited to the particuing a backing, and a facingthereon entirely composed of mosaic units arranged on said backing andsecured thereto along one area only, said units being formed frompliable but inelastic material whereby they are individually andcollectively free to conform in any direction with any exure ordistortion of saidV backing, as set forth.

'2. A mosaic section comprising a backing,

and pliable inelastic units arranged mosaically on 'said backing, saidunits being secured to said backing along one area only and separated adistance from each other at their edges to retain their'individualityand to be adapted to follow individually as well as collectively anyHexure or distortion of the backing, as set forth.

3. A mosaic section comprising a backing, and pliable inelastic unitsarranged on said backing into a mosaic design, said units being securedto said backing at one of their bases but separated a distance from eachother at'their edges,whereby they are enabled to follow individually aswell as collectively any .flexure or distortion .of said backing, assetforth.

4. A mosaic section or panel comprising a permanent backing, and mosaicunits of pliable inelastic material arranged on said backing andpermanently supported solely thereface to said backing and arranged toproduce a mosaic design, the adjacent edges of vthe units being entirelyfree from engagement and connection with each other, and an elasticdecorative coating applied to the outer faces and to the edges of saidunits.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand this 14th day of April,1910.

WILTON GUNNINGHAME. In presence of L. I-IEIsLAR, R. SCHAEFER.

by, said backing being suiiciently pliable to follow the curvature orirregularity of the surface of a Wall, ceiling or other support to bedecorated, said units being separated by gaps from each other all aroundtheir edges to be entirely free from each other, whereby they inayindividually, as' Well as collectively, follow in any direction anyfiexure, warping or distortion of said backing Without separatingtherefrom, as set forth.

5. A mosaic structure comprising a backing, pliable but inelastic unitssecured at one l

